Entertaining Ourselves Back to Life
The third book of the Lord of the Rings trilogy is titled The Return of the King; in it (spoilers ahead) the character Aragorn returns to unite humanity against a dire threat. The idea of a prophesied king reappearing and bringing his people together again against a formidable foe is common in literary history, from the overtold legend of King Arthur to the incomplete story of Jon Snow. Explore some of the following legends, then discuss with your team: why do such stories have such appeal? What political developments in today’s world might have similar causes?
Aragorn is a main character in The Lord of the Rings. At first, he’s known as Strider, a mysterious ranger, but he’s actually the rightful heir to the thrones of Gondor and Arnor. He helps the wizard Gandalf in the mission to destroy the One Ring and defeat the evil Sauron.
As a young man, Aragorn falls in love with Arwen, an elf. Her father, Elrond, says they can only marry if Aragorn becomes king. After Gandalf disappears, Aragorn takes charge of the Fellowship. When the group splits up, he, Legolas, and Gimli track two kidnapped hobbits. He fights in major battles, including Helm’s Deep and the Pelennor Fields. To help Frodo destroy the Ring, Aragorn leads an attack on Mordor, distracting Sauron. After victory, he becomes king, marries Arwen, and rules for 122 years.
He is considered one of the main protagonists of Lord of the Rings and the one that will return to safe the realm of man. Commentators have proposed historical figures such as King Oswald of Northumbria and King Alfred the Great as sources of inspiration for Aragorn, noting parallels such as spending time in exile and raising armies to retake their kingdoms.
Jon Snow is a major character in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books and the Game of Thrones TV show, where he’s played by Kit Harington. In the books, he is one of the key characters. Jon is first introduced as the illegitimate son of Ned Stark, the lord of Winterfell in the northern region of Westeros. Because his status as a bastard limits his future, he joins the Night’s Watch, an order that guards the northern border against threats like the wildlings beyond the Wall. After dying and coming back to life and becoming the Commander of the Nights Watch, he falls in love with Daenerys and leads to army of men to fight the Night King. One main plot line of the book is his resurrection and later revealing his true identity: he is actually Aegon Targaryen, the legitimate son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. This makes him the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, even ahead of Daenerys Targaryen. He starts of as a bastard/nobody and ends up being one of the most noble by birth and leader of men. However, unlike Aragon, he does not have a happy ending, as he self-banishes to the North beyond the wall to live his life after the death of his love - Daenerys or Ygritte.
King Arthur, one of the most legendary figures in British mythology, began his life not as a royal heir but as an ordinary boy named Arthur, raised in obscurity by Sir Ector. His destiny changed when, as a young squire, he unknowingly pulled the enchanted sword Excalibur from the stone—a feat that proved his divine right to rule. According to legend, the sword could only be drawn by the true king of Britain, and Arthur’s success revealed his hidden lineage as the son of King Uther Pendragon. Despite his humble upbringing, this act marked the beginning of his journey to becoming the great and just ruler of Camelot.
Arthur’s rise from a common boy to king was not without challenges. Many nobles doubted his claim, forcing him to prove himself through battles and leadership. With the guidance of the wizard Merlin and the loyalty of his knights, Arthur united the fractured kingdoms of Britain under his rule. His reign became a symbol of justice, chivalry, and the ideal of a noble king who rose above his modest origins to create a golden age of peace and heroism. The legend of his ascension continues to inspire tales of destiny, proving that greatness can emerge from the most unexpected places. King Arthur is likely based on a combination of historical figures, Celtic mythology, and medieval literary embellishments.
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Horus, one of the most significant deities in ancient Egyptian mythology, was the falcon-headed god of kingship, the sky, and divine justice. He was believed to be the son of Osiris, the god of the afterlife, and Isis, the goddess of magic and motherhood. According to myth, Horus was destined to avenge his father’s murder at the hands of his treacherous uncle, Set, the god of chaos and storms. This epic struggle between Horus and Set symbolized the eternal battle between order (ma'at) and chaos (isfet), a central theme in Egyptian religion. Their conflict was not just a personal feud but a cosmic fight to determine who would rightfully rule Egypt.
The myths describe fierce battles between Horus and Set, including brutal confrontations, magical duels, and even a trial before the gods. In one famous episode, Set tore out Horus’s eye, while Horus castrated Set—each injury representing their mutual destruction and resilience. Ultimately, the gods ruled in Horus’s favor, granting him the throne of Egypt and restoring balance to the land. However, some versions of the myth suggest an ongoing struggle, reflecting the Egyptians’ belief that chaos could never be fully defeated, only contained. Horus’s victory established him as the divine protector of pharaohs, who were seen as his earthly incarnations, ensuring prosperity and stability for Egypt.
Yudhishthira (center) and his brothers had a polyandrous marriage with Draupadi, the princess of Panchala, who became the empress of Indraprastha.
The eldest of the Pandava brothers in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Yudhishthira was the son of Kunti and the god Dharma (Yama, the god of justice). Born through a divine boon granted to Kunti, he was destined to embody righteousness (dharma) and uphold moral order. Despite being the rightful heir to the Kuru throne, Yudhishthira faced relentless opposition from his cousins, the Kauravas, particularly Duryodhana, who envied the Pandavas' strength and legitimacy. After surviving an assassination attempt in the infamous wax-house trap and a period of exile (13 years), Yudhishthira's claim to the throne was further solidified when he performed the Rajasuya sacrifice, establishing his supremacy as a just and powerful ruler.
However, Duryodhana’s refusal to share the kingdom led to the catastrophic Kurukshetra War. After the war, Yudhishthira ruled as a wise and compassionate king for 36 years, ushering in an era of prosperity. Yet, haunted by the war's violence, he eventually renounced the throne, embarking on a final journey to the Himalayas, where he ascended to heaven in mortal form—a rare honor reflecting his unparalleled virtue.
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Jesus is the 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader and the central figure of Christianity and Christians globally consider Jesus to be the Son of God, who was sent to earth as the messiah and savior for mankind. His birthday is celebrated as Christmas and the amazing story of his birth from the Virgin Mary is often told through nativity scenes during the holidays. He is a descendant of King David from the Bible and born in Bethlehem despite King Harold's persecution to kill all male babies. He was baptized by John the Baptist and began his life as an itinerant teacher of God's word. He engaged in healings, miracles and preaching to the masses. He had 12 followers called the disciples. The stories of his miracles and teachings make up the foundation of the New Testament and are widely preached throughout Christianity.
He was arrested in Jerusalem and tried by the Jewish authorities and turned over to the Roman government. He was crucified on the order of Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect. According to the Holy Scripture, he rose from the dead after three days and the news of his resurrection became the news of salvation that kindled the community of early Christian Church. It expanded worldwide into the Christian Church today. Easter celebrates the resurrection of Christ. Different Abrahamic religions, Muslims, Jewish and Bahai Faith, have different beliefs about him.
Richard I, better known as Richard the Lionheart, became King of England in 1189 after the death of his father, Henry II, following a tumultuous family struggle. He was the third of five sons, so his rise to king was unexpected, as his two older brothers died early. As part of the Plantagenet dynasty, Richard had already proven himself a formidable military leader in his youth, suppressing rebellions in Aquitaine and clashing with his father and brothers over territorial control. His reputation as a fearless warrior and strategist grew during the Third Crusade (1189–1192), where he led Christian forces against Saladin, securing key victories like the Battle of Arsuf and the recapture of Acre. Though he failed to reclaim Jerusalem, his exploits cemented his legend as the archetypal chivalric knight-king.
Richard’s enduring popularity stems from his larger-than-life persona as a warrior-king who prioritized honor, bravery, and adventure over conventional rulership.
Despite spending only six months of his reign in England—preferring his French domains and the Crusades—his absence became part of his myth, amplified by tales of his daring (like his capture and ransom by Leopold of Austria) and his supposed rivalry with Saladin, which later romanticized him in literature. He was held captive in Germany after being captured by Duke Leopold V of Austria on his return journey. His 15-month imprisonment (1192–1194) became legendary, with England paying a massive ransom equivalent to three years' royal revenue to secure his release. While criticized for neglecting governance and draining England’s treasury, Richard’s martial prowess and romanticized image in works like Robin Hood legends ensured his place as a timeless icon of medieval heroism and the idealized medieval king.
Charles II’s rise to power was marked by dramatic exile and a triumphant return. After his father, Charles I, was executed in 1649 during the English Civil War, the young prince fled to continental Europe, spending years in impoverished exile across France, the Dutch Republic, and the Spanish Netherlands. During this time, he became a symbol of the Royalist cause, while Oliver Cromwell ruled England as Lord Protector. However, Cromwell’s death in 1658 and the political instability of the Protectorate created an opportunity for Charles’s restoration. In 1660, Parliament invited him back to England under the Declaration of Breda, which promised amnesty, religious tolerance, and payment of army arrears—securing his return as king without further bloodshed.
Charles II’s restoration in 1660, known as the Restoration, marked the end of republican
rule and the revival of the monarchy. Despite his earlier struggles, Charles proved a shrewd and adaptable ruler, navigating political tensions between Parliament, dissenters, and his own Catholic sympathies. His reign saw the Great Plague (1665), the Great Fire of London (1666), and wars with the Dutch, but also cultural flourishing, scientific advancement (with the founding of the Royal Society), and relative stability after years of upheaval. Charles’s ability to survive exile, reclaim his throne, and restore the monarchy’s prestige cemented his legacy as the "Merry Monarch" and a master of political survival.
Louis XVIII’s life was defined by revolution and exile. Born Louis Stanislas Xavier, the younger brother of Louis XVI, he fled France in 1791 during the French Revolution, escaping the fate of his executed brother. For over two decades, he lived as a royal exile, moving across Europe—from Prussia to Russia to England—while Napoleon Bonaparte consolidated power. During these years, Louis positioned himself as the legitimate Bourbon heir, issuing declarations from abroad and seeking support from foreign monarchies. His exile shaped his political outlook, making him a cautious realist who understood the need to compromise with revolutionary changes to regain the throne.
The collapse of Napoleon’s empire in 1814 finally allowed Louis XVIII to return, ushering in the Bourbon Restoration. Though briefly forced into exile again during Napoleon’s Hundred Days (1815), his second return solidified his rule. Unlike his absolutist ancestors, he accepted a constitutional monarchy under the Charter of
1814, balancing royal authority with revolutionary-era reforms. His reign stabilized post-Napoleonic France but faced opposition from both ultra-royalists and liberals. Exile had taught him pragmatism, yet it also left him disconnected from a France that had irrevocably changed. His death in 1824 marked the end of an era, as his more reactionary brother, Charles X, undid his compromises—leading to another revolution in 1830.
He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort, was a descendant of John of Gaunt, son of King Edward III, and founder of the House of Lancaster, a cadet branch of the House of Plantagenet. During the reign of Richard III from the House of York, Henry Tudor spent much of his early life in exile, after the Lancastrian defeat in the Wars of the Roses. Forced to flee to Brittany in 1471 at age 14, he spent 14 years in precarious exile, narrowly avoiding capture by Yorkist agents. His fortunes changed in 1485 when, with French backing, he invaded England and defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. His marriage to Elizabeth of York united the warring houses of Lancaster and York, symbolically ending the Wars of the Roses and founding the Tudor dynasty. He is the grandfather of the final descendent of the House of Tudors was Queen Elizabeth I.
Juan Carlos is the son of Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, and grandson of Alfonso XIII, the last king of Spain before the abolition of the monarchy in 1931 and the subsequent declaration of the Second Spanish Republic. Juan Carlos I was born in 1938 in Rome, where his family lived in exile during the rise of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship. Though Franco allowed the young prince to be educated in Spain, Juan Carlos’s future remained uncertain—caught between his father’s claim to the throne and Franco’s plan to reinstate the monarchy under his own terms. In 1969, Franco formally designated Juan Carlos as his successor, sidelining the prince’s father, Infante Juan, and ensuring the monarchy’s continuity under authoritarian rule. When Franco died in 1975, Juan Carlos was crowned king, inheriting a nation still bound by dictatorship but poised for change. Despite his ties to Franco’s regime, Juan Carlos surprised the world by championing Spain’s democratic transition. In 2014, he abdicated in favour of his son, who acceded to the throne as Felipe VI. He is in exile once again. Since August 2020, Juan Carlos has lived in self-imposed exile from Spain over allegedly improper ties to business deals in Saudi Arabia.
In The Hobbit, Thorin Oakenshield embodies the theme of exile as a leader of the displaced Dwarves of Erebor. Thorin is the leader of the Company of Dwarves who aim to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug the dragon. He is the son of Thráin II, grandson of Thrór, and becomes King of Durin's Folk during their exile from Erebor. Driven from their homeland by the dragon Smaug, Thorin and his people are forced into a life of wandering and hardship, stripped of their wealth, culture, and identity. This exile fuels his pride and his determination to reclaim Erebor, and his deep-seated resentment toward those he blames for his people’s suffering—including the Elves of Mirkwood, who refused to aid the Dwarves in their time of need. The quest to retake the Lonely Mountain is not just an adventure but a mission of restoration, as Thorin seeks to end his people’s exile and reclaim their rightful place in the world. Unfortunately, he later become greedy and prideful, but finally reconciled at his death bed.
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Prince Caspian is one of the main characters from the popular CS Lewis novel series Narnia. After the four Pevensie children left Narnia, 1300 years go by, even though it is only one year in WWII England. Caspian is the rightful heir to the Telmarine (human) throne of Narnia, but he is forced into exile after his uncle, King Miraz, attempts to murder him upon the birth of his own son. With the help of his tutor, Doctor Cornelius, Caspian flees into the wilderness, where he discovers the hidden remnants of Old Narnia—the talking beasts, dwarves, and mythical creatures his Telmarine ancestors had suppressed. This exile becomes a transformative journey, as Caspian embraces his destiny as the true king and rallies the oppressed Narnians against Miraz’s tyranny. His time in hiding strengthens his resolve and deepens his connection to Narnia’s ancient magic, ultimately leading him to summon the Pevensie siblings back to Narnia with Queen Susan’s enchanted horn.
Caspian’s banishment mirrors other classic protagonist exile narratives, where displacement leads to self-discovery and a reclaiming of identity. Though raised as a Telmarine, his exile awakens him to the injustice of his people’s rule and solidifies his loyalty to Old Narnia. With the Pevensies’ aid, he defeats Miraz and is crowned king, bridging the divide between Telmarines and Narnians. His reign marks a restoration of Narnia’s golden age.
Kimba the White Lion (titled Jungle Emperor in Japan) is a classic Japanese shōnen manga series created by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Manga Shōnen magazine from 1950 to 1954. The story aired from 1965-1967 as Japan’s first color animated TV series. The anime gained international popularity, reaching North American audiences in 1966. I immediately felt that Disney's The Lion King plagerized this, but later Tezuka said that the similarities about the young lion heroes that returns to save the animals is a common story and that Simba just means lion in Swahili.
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Set in mid-20th century Africa, Kimba the White Lion follows Panja (Caesar in English), a noble white lion who protects jungle animals from human expansion. After Panja is killed by hunter Ham Egg (Viper Snakely), his pregnant mate Eliza is captured. Their cub, Kimba (Leo), is born on a zoo-bound ship but escapes during a storm. Guided by his mother’s spirit and aided by sea creatures, Kimba survives and is raised briefly by humans, where he learns the value of civilization. Returning to the wild, young Kimba strives to fulfill his father’s legacy by bridging peace between animals and humans through understanding and cooperation. The narrative’s mix of tragedy and hope, along with its pioneering anime adaptation, cemented its legacy as a foundational work in Japanese animation.
When at first you don’t succeed, try and try again—and, likely as not, flop harder. Napoleon Bonaparte returned from exile in Elba as a self-reproclaimed emperor, only to drown in misfortune at Waterloo. Look into the following figures whose careers took off post-exile, then discuss with your team: why was their second wind better than their first? Can you think of other examples of individuals, like Napoleon, who attempted a comeback—but failed spectacularly?
Many scholars are familiar with Albert Einstein theory of relativity. Born in Germany, he moved to Switzerland in 1895, renouncing his German citizenship. He studied and taught there for many years until 1914. After fleeing Nazi Germany in 1933 due to rising antisemitism and the revocation of his citizenship, Einstein found refuge in the United States, where he joined Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study. Though already world-famous for his theory of relativity, this period of exile became a "second wind" for his intellectual pursuits. His 1939 letter to President Roosevelt warning of atomic bomb potential (later regretted) reflected his enduring influence on science and policy, even as he distanced himself from the resulting Manhattan
Project. His second wind at citizenship, also sparked in him a fervor for moral leadership, as he opposed McCarthyism and racism. He declared "the world is a dangerous place not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." This era solidified his legacy not just as a genius, but as a visionary who saw science and ethics as inseparable—a thinker forever changed by exile, yet unbroken in his curiosity and conscience.
Leon Trotsky was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist who spent a significant portion of his life in exile from Siberia to Mexico. Each time, he became more influential. He was a key figure in the 1905 Revolution, October Revolution of 1917, the Russian Civil War, and the establishment of the Soviet Union, from which he was exiled in 1929 before his assassination in 1940.
From a wealthy Jewish family in Ukraine, Trotsky joined the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1898. After being arrested for revolutionary activities, he was exiled to Siberia, but in 1902 escaped to London, where he met Lenin. During the 1905 Revolution, Trotsky was elected chairman of the Saint Petersburg Soviet. He was again exiled to Siberia, but escaped in 1907. After the February Revolution of 1917, Trotsky joined the Bolsheviks and was elected chairman of the Petrograd Soviet.
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After Lenin's death in 1924, Trotsky emerged as the most prominent critic of Joseph Stalin, but was quickly outmaneuvered by him politically. Trotsky was expelled from the Politburo in 1926 and from the party in 1927, internally exiled to Alma Ata in 1928, and deported in 1929. Being a adamant Stalin critic, he was killed by Stalinist agent in 1940 with an ice pick in Mexico.
Jimmy Carter was America's 39th President from 1977 to 1981. He was Democratic and came from Georgia, and many jokes are about him being a peanut farmer. He is the longest-lived US president, and died recently in December 2024. His experienced two second winds throughout his life. After his career in the Navy, following the death of his father, he moved back to Georgia and became a farmer. It was hard times and he took classes in agriculture and worked with his wife Rosalynn to grow the business. He was active in the Civil Rights Movement and in 1962 began his political career. Even though he initially lost the gubernatorial campaign, he later became the President winning against Gerald Ford.
His presidency had its highlights and lowlights. Achievements include pardoning Vietnam draft evaders, Camp David Accords, Panama Canal Treaties, second Strategic Arms Limitation Talks and establishing diplomatic relations with China. He created the Department of Energy and Education. He also had challenges with USSR in Afghanistan, Iran, and Oil Crisis. He lost to Ronald Reagan. However, after his presidency, he devoted himself to the Carter Center promoting human rights, winning 2002 Nobel Peace Prize and eradicating disease. His second/third wind was viewed very positively.
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Friedrich Engels (1820 - 1895) is a German businessman, philosopher, and most famously the friend of Karl Marx and the co-writer of Marxism and Das Kapital. Born into wealthy family in textile business, he became a staunch critic of capitalism. He met Marx in 1844 and wrote works together. In fact, he supported Marx financially for much of his life. After Marx's death, Engels was the one that edited his manuscripts and completed Das Kapital, joking that he was one of the people that could read Marx's horrible handwriting.
For Engels, his life had a second wind in that he began his life expecting to go into business, but instead became a revolutionary writer. At university, he published articles about poor employment and living conditions of factory workers. He later moved to England and spent time in Paris, and he met Marx and through his wife/partner Mary Burns
he didn't believe in marriage). They became close friends and wrote publications that got them expelled from France. Engels continued to write and support Marx. As political activists, they moved to Brussels which was known as a sanctuary for progressives thinkers. They joined the Communist League and collaborated with other writers. The Communist League commissioned Marx and Engels to write a pamphlet explaining the principles of communism and this became the Communist Manifesto. His activities caused conflict with his parents and they threatened to cut him off financially if he does not stop his work. He was able to resolve the issue and take a senior role for his family business. But in 1849, he travelled to Bavaria to participate in the Baden and Palatinate revolutionary in Prussia. His rebellious pursuit nearly cost him his life and his lost his Prussian citizenship, fleeing to Paris then London as a refugee in Switzerland. Upon his return to England, he once again began working for the family business and write Das Kapital, even though he was under police surveillance. He wrote prolifically and worked his way up. It was in his second wind that Marx and Engels anticipated the development of Russia and future potential. After the death of Marx, he remained in London and continued to write and edit unfinished volumes of Das Kapital.
Dante Alighieri (1262- 1321) is considered one of the most famous Italian poets, writer, and philosopher, and his Divine Comedy is considered a monumental work of the Middle Ages. His work stood out as it was written in Tuscan instead of Latin. His work Divine Comedy about Hell, Purgatory and Heaven inspired many future Western writers including Chaucer, Milton and Tennyson. He was the first to use the three-line thyme scheme.
Dante grew up in when Italian city states were divided into factions and his city Florence was embroiled in Guelph-Ghibelline conflict. He was part of the White Guelphs, a sub-faction and he was sent to Rome as part of a delegation to meet with Pope Boniface. While he was away the Black Guelphs took over the city and killed many of their enemies, exiling Dante for accusations of corruption. He was stuck and unable to return to Florence because all his assets were seized by the Black Guelphs and he could not pay the fines for his crime. (In 2008, the
council of Florence finally passed a motion to rescind Dante's sentence).
It was in exile that Dante got his second wind and turned a new page in his life. He travelled through different Italian cities and focused on philosophy and literature. It was during this time that he conceived of Divine Comedy. The Divine Comedy follows Dante's journey through Hell (Inferno), Purgatory (Purgatorio), and Heaven (Paradiso), guided by Virgil and Beatrice, as he explores sin, redemption, and divine love. Along the way, he encounters historical and mythological figures, witnessing the consequences of their actions in the afterlife. The epic poem culminates in Dante’s vision of God, symbolizing the soul’s ultimate union with the divine. He was never able to return to Florence, despite being able to pay fees to settle his sentence. He wanted to be invited back to Florence with honors. He finally died in Ravenna among family and others who admired his work.
Confucius (551 - 479 BCE) is a Chinese philosopher from the Spring and Autumn period and revered as the paragon of Chinese sages. His teachings called Confucianism emphasizes personal and government morality, harmony, righteousness, kindness and leading by virtue.
His teachings have been passed down the generations and still widely taught in Chinese education.
Born in the state of Lu during the turbulent Spring and Autumn Period, he sought to restore moral order by promoting virtues like ren (benevolence) and li (ritual propriety). After serving in minor government roles, he became disillusioned with corruption and embarked on a 14-year exile (497–484 BCE), wandering between various states, including Wei, Song, and Chen, in hopes of finding a ruler who would adopt his principles.
During his exile, Confucius faced hardship, including poverty, political intrigue, and even life-threatening situations, such as when he was besieged in Kuang or nearly starved in Chen. Despite these struggles, he continued teaching disciples and refining his philosophy, emphasizing the importance of moral leadership and just governance. Though no ruler fully embraced his ideals during his lifetime, his perseverance laid the foundation for Confucianism, which later became China’s dominant ethical and political tradition. His exile period reflects his unwavering commitment to reform, even in the face of rejection and adversity.
Rodrigo Belmonte, the charismatic and formidable central figure in Guy Gavriel Kay’s The Lions of Al-Rassan, is a fictional reimagining of the legendary El Cid. A peerless warrior and commander from the Jaddite (Christian) kingdom of Valledo, Rodrigo is revered for his military genius, unwavering honor, and ability to inspire loyalty. However, his steadfast principles—and his refusal to bend to political expediency—lead to his abrupt exile by King Ramiro, forcing him into service under the Asharite (Muslim) ruler of Ragosa. This exile becomes a defining chapter in his life, as Rodrigo navigates the complexities of faith, loyalty, and identity in a land divided by war and cultural strife.
Despite his banishment, Rodrigo’s legend only grows. His tactical brilliance and moral integrity earn him respect even among his enemies, particularly the poet-warrior Ammar ibn Khairan, with whom he shares a deep, fraught friendship. When Valledo faces crisis,
Rodrigo is recalled from exile in a moment of desperate need, ascending to the pinnacle of command once more. Yet his return is not one of simple triumph—it carries the weight of sacrifice and the tragic inevitability of a changing world. Rodrigo’s journey—from exile to redemption, from outcast to legend—cements his place as a timeless figure of nobility in a story where greatness is both celebrated and mourned.
Pakistani activist and terrorism survivor Malala Yousafzai is a global symbol of courage and resilience, known for her fearless advocacy for girls' education in the face of violent oppression. Born in Pakistan’s Swat Valley, she defied the Taliban’s ban on girls’ schooling by speaking out publicly—first through a BBC blog under a pseudonym, then through increasingly visible activism. Her determination made her a target, and in 2012, at just 15 years old, she was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in an assassination attempt. Miraculously surviving the attack, Malala refused to be silenced, turning her trauma into a rallying cry for education and human rights.
After recovering, Malala channeled her ordeal into even greater activism, co-founding the Malala Fund to support girls’ education worldwide and addressing the United Nations on her 16th
birthday. Her unwavering resolve earned her the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, making her the youngest-ever laureate. Despite ongoing threats and displacement from her homeland, she continues to fight for equality, proving that oppression can be overcome with unyielding courage and the power of one’s voice. Malala’s story is a testament to how resilience and conviction can turn personal suffering into global change.
Sun Mu is a Korean painter. He worked as a propaganda artist in North Korea before fleeing to South Korea in the 1990s. Sun Mu was born in North Korea and trained by the North Korean Army as a propaganda artist. Later he studied art in college.
During a severe famine in the 1990s he fled to South Korea where he works as a painter. Out of concern for the family he left behind in North Korea he uses the pseudonym "Sun Mu" instead of his real name and does not allow photos of his face. Sun has acquired fame and notoriety for the Socialist Realist style of his paintings, which resemble North Korean propaganda
magery and have even been mistaken for such. One of his portraits of former North Korean leader Kim Il Sung was removed from a Pusan biennale because organizers wanted to avoid problems for exhibiting "pro-communist" art. Sun himself and art critics have noted that his images are replete with political satire; depicting, for instance, the North Korean leaders in Western clothing. His signature work is the "Happy Children" series of paintings, which show North Korean children displaying the uniform forced smile that Sun says was taught to him at school in North Korea.
The Belarus Free Theatre (BFT) is an underground theatre group founded in 2005 in Minsk, Belarus. It is notable for being the only theatre in Europe banned by its government on political grounds, emerging as a response to the censorship of artistic expression in what is often referred to as "Europe’s Last Dictatorship". Following the 2020–2021 Belarusian protests, the BFT no longer has a presence in Belarus, with many members relocating to London. The theatre is recognized for its brave and inspired performances, often addressing political and social issues.
The group was founded in 2005 by human rights activists Nikolai Khalezin and his wife Natalia Koliada. They created works that expressed the resistance against censorship and the authoritarian regime of president Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus. The first show was 4.48 Psychosis which was about depression and suicide, both taboo topics. The theater performs in private apartments, cafes and even the woods to escape public harassment. In 2010 50,000 people protested against what they believed to be the rigged election of Lukashenko and among the arrested were Koliada and Khalezin, who has remained in hiding ever since. Since, their troupe has left Belarus and relocated to London to continue producing work and act. They have gained much international support and continues to produce works abroad.
An-My Lê (born 1960) is a Vietnamese American photographer, filmmaker, author and professor at Bard College. Her work is often focused on photographing subjects involving war, landscape, and how the two interact within military combat. An-My Lê was born in Saigon, South Vietnam, in 1960. She fled from Vietnam in 1975, and after shuttling through military bases and finally settling in California. She attended Stanford University studying biology and Yale where she received her MFA in photography. She has created works about her homeland of Vietnam, including "Small Wars" - photos taken during re-enactment. Her works including 29 Palms about Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center and Small Wars about US naval ships in Iraq. Given a second chance at life in America, she has taken that chance to inspire others with her works of inspiring photography that addresses racial tension, the erasure of history, and the role of military in our world today.
“Funny when you're dead, how people start listenin'” quipped the 2010 hit song “If I Die Young”. Consider the other now-famous dead people below and discuss with your team: what is the best way to reignite someone’s legacy? Vincent van Gogh, for instance, only became famous after his death thanks to the people in his life. Should we focus more on studying the works of those who are still alive, or does a creator’s death make their creations more interesting in some way?
"If I Die Young" is a song written by Kimberly Perry, and recorded by American country music trio The Band Perry. It was released on June 8, 2010, as the second single from the group's self-titled debut album. The song is mid-tempo and accompanied by acoustic guitar, banjo, accordion, mandolin, fiddle, electric bass, and drums. The song's sadness is expressed with descriptive imagery "the sharp knife of a short life" and how she worries her loved one's will miss her and how she never really got to experience love. The Perry band received many positive feedback for the song, including letters from fans about how it stopped them from committing suicide or family members mourning their loss of someone dying too soon. The music video features Perry in a canoe being pushed into the river
and she is holding a book of poem by Tennyson.
The song also had a Glee version where Naya Rivera sang it in honor of our co-star Cory Monteith who played the lead Finn on the show. He died in real life from an overdose and also died on the show. Her heart-felt version was one of the most memorable tracks on Glee's album Glee: The Quarterback. Sadly, she also passed away tragically in 2020 in a camping and boat accident.
When Jo was 28, she lost the love of her life. She was left with a young child and a flat full of artworks by his brother. Her husband Theo was Vincent van Gogh's brother. In the years following Theo's death, van Gogh's work became world famous and it is thanks to the efforts of Jo van Gogh-Bonger, a young widow, who had only been married to Theo for 2 years. To provide for her young child, she was smart and organized exhibitions to boost the visibility of Vincent's work. She made many strategic sales of the artwork to collections that publicized Vincent's work. In 1905, she accomplished an amazing feat: a retrospective of Vincent's work with more than 480 pieces at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Ever since, the price of his works rose exponentially. She was the mastermind behind the entire project.
She didn't stop there. She published letters between the brothers, turning them into a biography of the artist and his artistic aspirations. She studied English and did most of the translations herself until her death in 1925. The English version of the letters were published 4 years after. Between 1891 and 1925, she sold 200 of Vincent's artworks but she had trouble parting with ones that were dear to their hearts. She still owned 2 of the sunflowers and eventually sold one to the National Gallery in London in 1924. She did it in the end - "It's a sacrifice for the sake of Vincent's glory." She made the right choice to sell works that made the collection famous and kept the ones that were central to his legacy such as "The Harvest". After she passed away, the artworks remained in the family foundation, which turned into the Van Gogh Museum, which offers the public access and a new view into the creative world of the artist through the dedication of Jo.
Gregor Mendel was an Austrian Friar and biologist and renowned as the father of modern genetics. Mendel's groundbreaking work on inheritance in pea plants (published in 1866) was largely ignored during his lifetime. Even after his death, his discoveries remained obscure for decades. Mendel was an Augustinian monk, not a prominent academic, so his work was overlooked by mainstream biologists. The significance of his statistical approach to heredity was not fully appreciated until later. It wasn’t until 1900, when scientists Hugo de Vries, Carl Correns, and Erich von Tschermak independently rediscovered Mendel’s laws, that his work gained widespread recognition. After the rediscovery of his laws in 1900, Mendel became posthumously famous, and his death added a tragic element to his story—a brilliant mind unrecognized in his time.
Alfred Wegener, the German scientist who proposed the theory of continental drift, died under tragic and dramatic circumstances in November 1930 during an expedition in Greenland. Wegener and his team were on a mission to resupply a remote weather station when they faced extreme Arctic conditions. After delivering supplies, Wegener and an Inuit companion, Rasmus Villumsen, attempted to return to base camp but never arrived.
Wegener’s theory of continental drift was already controversial, and his death did little to change that. Wegener couldn’t explain how continents moved, so geologists dismissed his ideas. His hypothesis was not accepted by mainstream geology until the 1950s, when numerous discoveries such as palaeomagnetism provided strong support for continental drift, and thereby a substantial basis for today's model of plate tectonics. Posthumously, Wegener became a celebrated figure in earth sciences, with his death seen as a symbol of perseverance against scientific resistance.
Emily Dickinson is one of America's most celebrated poets and her life and work is rather a mystery. She lived a reclusive life and died on May 15, 1886, at the age of 55 in her family home in Amherst, Massachusetts. Considered an eccentric by locals, she developed a penchant for white clothing and was known for her reluctance to greet guests or, later in life, even to leave her bedroom. Dickinson never married, and most of her friendships were based entirely upon correspondence. Yet her poetry was imaginative and full of life. Although Dickinson was a prolific writer, her only publications during her lifetime were one letter and 10 of her nearly 1,800 poems. Her official death was listed as Blight's Disease but she might have been plagued with other disorders.
Her death marked the beginning of her posthumous rise to literary fame. After her death, Dickinson’s sister Lavinia found hundreds of her meticulously handwritten poems and sought to have them published. Originally, her poems were so different from the poems of that generations that editors heavily altered her work to fit conventional poetry standards, but even these sanitized versions intrigued readers. As unedited versions emerged, critics began appreciating her innovative style—unconventional punctuation, slant rhyme, and deep existential themes. Dickinson’s poetry began circulating soon after her death, though it took nearly a century for her true genius to be fully recognized.
Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a Jewish Austrian-Czech novelist and writer from Prague who wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastique, and typically features isolated protagonists facing bizarre or surrealistic predicaments and incomprehensible socio-bureaucratic powers. The official cause of death was tuberculosis of the larynx, a complication of the pulmonary tuberculosis he had battled since 1917. In his final months, Kafka could barely eat or speak due to throat inflammation. Before his death, Kafka instructed his friend, Max Brod to burn all his unpublished manuscripts, including
including unfinished novels like The Trial, The Castle, and Amerika. Brod defied Kafka’s wishes, publishing them posthumously in the late 1920s–1930s.
During his lifetime, he published only a few short stories (e.g., The Metamorphosis) and was unknown outside small literary circles. Brod’s edits and promotions turned Kafka into a literary legend. Without his death (and Brod’s defiance), The Trial and The Castle might have been lost forever. He’s considered one of the most influential writers of the 20th century—only because he died young and his friend disobeyed him.
Anne Frank, the Jewish diarist whose writings became one of the most haunting accounts of the Holocaust, died in February or early March 1945 at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Nazi Germany. She was 15 years old. Her diary became of the most well-known and well-read accounts of Jewish persecution during the WWII.
After Anne's sister was summoned to report to concentration camp, Anne's family and their friends went into hiding in a secret attic of her father's company with only a few friends helping them secure food and resources to survive. Each day Anne would write to pass the time and describe her inner struggles and aspirations, one of which was to become a writer. Unfortunately, their whereabouts were discovered by a thief who likely turned them in. After being discovered in the Secret Annex (August 1944), Anne and her family were deported to
Auschwitz. Later, she and her sister Margot were transferred to Bergen-Belsen, where they both perished weeks before the camp’s liberation (April 1945).
Anne wrote her diary (addressed to an imaginary friend, Kitty) while hiding from 1942–1944. Unlike published authors, Anne never knew her work would be read. The diary’s raw, unpolished honesty resonated deeply. After the arrest, Miep Gies (one of the helpers) rescued the diary, hoping to return it to Anne. When Otto Frank (Anne’s father, the sole survivor) learned of her death, Miep gave him the diary. Otto Frank edited and published Het Achterhuis (The Secret Annex) in 1947. Dramatic irony - the fact that Anne did not survive made her words infinitely more powerful—her hopes ("I still believe people are really good at heart") contrasted devastatingly with her fate.
Vivian Maier (1926–2009) was an eccentric nanny and secret street photographer whose extraordinary body of work—over 100,000 photographs, mostly unseen in her lifetime—was discovered by chance after her death. Born in New York, raised partly in France, she worked as a nanny in Chicago for decades while obsessively documenting city life, self-portraits, and marginalized communities with her Rolleiflex camera. Personality: Highly private, almost reclusive, she hid her photos in storage lockers, showing them to almost no one. Her work, shot primarily in the 1950s–70s, is now celebrated for its compositional brilliance, humanism, and sharp social commentary.
She died in obscurity at 83 (April 2009) after a fall, impoverished and relying on public assistance. Her storage lockers full of negatives, prints, and undeveloped film were auctioned off for unpaid rent. John Maloof, a historian, bought a box of her negatives at a 2007 auction for $400, initially unaware of their value. Upon realizing their quality, he tracked down more of her work, eventually amassing 90% of her archive. Exhibitions & Books: Her photos debuted in 2010, leading to global exhibitions (e.g., Chicago, London, Paris) and best-selling books. Maier’s lifelong secrecy ensured her anonymity—yet her accidental posthumous fame made her one of photography’s most celebrated figures.
Otis Redding (1941–1967) was an American soul singer, songwriter, and record producer, often called the "King of Soul" alongside contemporaries like Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin. Known for his raw, emotive voice and electrifying stage presence, Redding was a pivotal figure in 1960s R&B and soul music. Born in Georgia, he rose to fame through Stax Records in Memphis, crafting hits like "These Arms of Mine" (1962) and "Respect" (1965, later famously covered by Aretha Franklin). A dynamic showman, his performances at the Monterey Pop Festival (1967) and Harlem’s Apollo Theater solidified his reputation.
He died in December 1967 at age 26. His plane crashed in Lake Monona, Wisconsin, while traveling to a concert. His death made his songs a sensation. "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" (recorded 3 days before his death) became his first #1 hit (1968) and the first posthumous #1 single in U.S. history. The song earned two posthumous Grammy nods (1969), including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Otis Redding’s tragic death catapulted him from star to icon.
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James Joseph "Jim" Croce (1943–1973) was an American singer-songwriter and folk-rock troubadour known for his storytelling lyrics, warm baritone voice, and hits like "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "Time in a Bottle." After struggling for years playing small gigs with his wife, Ingrid, he broke through with the albums You Don’t Mess Around with Jim (1972) and Life and Times (1973). By 1973, he was a mainstream success, appearing on The Tonight Show and touring nationally.
He died September 1973, also due to plane crash. His plane crashed in Natchitoches, Louisiana, after a concert at Northwestern State University. "Time in a Bottle" (originally a B-side) became his second #1 hit after his death, fueled by radio play as a tribute. Album sales surged with You Don’t Mess Around with Jim and Life and Times soared on the charts, going multi-platinum. Jim Croce’s death catapulted him from rising star to folk-rock immortality with the publishing of many unfinished pieces.
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Nick Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician known for his gentle, melancholic folk music, intricate guitar work, and poetic lyrics. Born on June 19, 1948, in Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar), he grew up in England and released three albums during his short career: Five Leaves Left (1969), Bryter Layter (1970), and Pink Moon (1972). Despite their critical acclaim, his records sold poorly during his lifetime, and he struggled with depression and disillusionment over his lack of commercial success. Nick Drake died on November 25, 1974, at the age of 26, from an overdose of amitriptyline, a prescribed antidepressant. The coroner ruled his death a suicide, though some friends and family members have
questioned this, suggesting it may have been accidental. His death was relatively unnoticed at the time, as he was not widely known outside a small circle of admirers. In the years following his death, Drake’s music gradually gained recognition. By the late 1970s and 1980s, his albums were reissued, and his influence grew among musicians and critics and he has since become a cult icon.
“I did it again” isn’t always an oops; it’s often a plan. Many artists re-record and sometimes greatly revise and recreate their own past works. Taylor Swift’s new “Version(s)” of her old albums have set the charts on fire even though most of her songs are little-changed—but for some, her success has had consequences. Discuss with your team: what is the right time to re-release existing works, and to what degree should the original creator need to be involved?
Before there was Taylor and Beyonce, the top female pop artist was Britney. "Oops!... I Did It Again" is a pop song recorded by American singer Britney Spears from her second studio album of the same name. It was released on April 11, 2000. It was super popular when it was released and continues to be connected to the the singer whenever the words are spoken.
Taylor is not only a popular music icon and song writer, she is also a savvy and creative business woman who knows how to fight and protect her rights. In this case, its her creative work. The article examines how Swift’s decision to re-record her early albums has reshaped the music industry’s power dynamics. After her original master recordings were sold without her consent, Swift embarked on a mission to re-record her first six albums, reclaiming artistic and financial control. This strategy, unprecedented in its scale and success, has forced record labels to reconsider traditional contracts that often leave artists with little ownership over their work.
Background on the controversy: Swift’s contract with Big Machine ended in 2018 when she released her sixth album, Reputation. Swift was given the opportunity to re-sign with Big Machine. In their new offer, Big Machine gave Swift the opportunity to “earn” back her master recordings one album at a time for every new album she released. Unhappy with this offer, Swift left Big Machine, and signed a new recording contract with Republic Records (“Republic”), a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Her new contract with Republic gave her ownership of the master recordings of all music she created going forward.
In 2019, Big Machine was sold to Ithaca Holdings, a company owned by Scooter Braun, for $300 million. Scooter is credited with having discovered
Canadian singer Justin Bieber in 2008 and being his business manager. Owning Big Machine meant that Braun also owned the master recordings of Swift’s first six albums. Braun and Swift have a hostile relationship, with Swift accusing Braun of “incessant, manipulative bullying.” Calling the sale her “worst case scenario,” Swift explained to fans in a Tumblr post that she was never given the opportunity to purchase her master recordings, despite pleading for the opportunity to do so. She also stated that the sale to Braun occurred without her knowledge or consent.
So, Taylor took action to regain her music. She re-recorded them and—marketed them as “Taylor’s Version.” They have not only been commercially successful but also empowered other artists to demand better terms. Swift herself has cited Kelly Clarkson’s public suggestion (via Twitter/X) that she re-record her old songs as an early inspiration. Clarkson tweeted in July 2019: "Just a thought, U should go in & re-record all the songs that U don’t own the masters on exactly how U did them but put brand new art & some kind of incentive so fans will no longer buy the old versions." Swift later confirmed that Clarkson’s idea resonated with her, and she turned it into a full-blown business and artistic mission. The "Taylor’s Version" re-recordings have since become a monumental success. Labels now face pressure to offer more favorable deals, including master ownership or profit-sharing, to retain top talent. Swift’s ability to devalue the original masters by creating legally indistinguishable replacements has set a new precedent, challenging the industry’s long-standing exploitation of artists.
By re-recording, she circumvented the need to repurchase her masters, proving that artists can leverage copyright law to regain control. This has led to shifts in contract negotiations, with some labels now including stricter re-recording clauses to prevent similar moves. Swift’s influence may ultimately lead to more equitable industry practices, as artists increasingly prioritize ownership over short-term gains. By demonstrating the viability of reclaiming creative and economic control, she has inspired a broader movement toward artist empowerment, forcing the industry to adapt or risk losing its biggest stars.
In 2023, electronic music artist Porter Robinson created the “Po-uta” voice bank to allow future artists to create songs using his voice. Check out this interview where he explains his motivations as well as the demonstration song “Humansongs”. Similarly, some Hollywood actors are creating digital clones of themselves with the help of AI—some to preserve their likeness for the future, others to accept multiple gigs at once. Explore these technologies with your team, then discuss with your team: when (and how much) does it matter whether an artwork is created by the artist themselves or their digital clone?
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Porter Weston Robinson (born July 15, 1992) is an American DJ, singer, songwriter, and record producer and his hits include "Ghost Voices", "Nurture", and "Smile! :D". Robinson expresses deep excitement about his voice being immortalized as the "Po-uta" Vocaloid, calling it a dream come true. Inspired by Japanese Vocaloid artists like DECO*27 and KZ/Livetune, he credits the genre for shaping the melancholic, melodic style of his album Nurture. Creating the demo song with Po-uta pushed him to work methodically, crafting syllables and meaning in parallel—a departure from his usual process of improvising melodies with placeholder lyrics. The demo’s narrative explores AI’s emotional weight, portraying Po-uta as an immortal entity grieving its mortal creator, a theme Robinson hopes will resonate with listeners amid evolving AI ethics.
Robinson’s love for Vocaloid dates back to his discovery of Hatsune Miku and his use of the English Vocaloid Avanna on his 2014 album Worlds. He admires Vocaloid’s unique
blend of artificiality and emotional power, comparing it to Daft Punk’s voice-modulating techniques. While Po-uta feels like a fitting capstone to Nurture’s sound, Robinson remains open to unplanned creative exploration. He encourages other producers to craft original songs for Po-uta and envisions Vocaloid’s future advancements—like AI-assisted melody and lyric generation—while emphasizing the irreplaceable role of human artistry. His closing message to fans celebrates their shared connection through music and the fleeting beauty of life.
Humansongs is a demo made by Porter Robinson introducing - VOCALOID Po-uta! an official YAMAHA VOCALOID6 voicebank product based on Porter Robinson’s pitched-up voice in the style of “Nurture”. this is a demo-song I made to
demonstrate my new official VOCALOID voicebank! i went for a fairly hard-tuned “robotic” sound to match the song’s themes (and so much of my own favorite vocaloid music is in the “ROBOT” style), but Po-uta is also capable of realistic, human-sounding expressive styles too. i’m really curious to hear this software in the hands of people more capable of advanced VOCALOID tuning than me! VOCALOID6 is a voice-synthesis software that enables you to create songs using synthesized voices. VOCALOID Po-uta is a voicebank for VOCALOID6 which is able to sing in English and Japanese.
Getting digitally cloned was easier than Devin Finley expected it to be. Devin is a voice-over artist and he spent less and hour reading from a teleprompter and being filmed from the waist up by Hour One, a video agency. He is worried about digital doubles that could capture his personality and take away his job, but he also sees the benefit of being at two places at once. And, his avatar even speak another language and make money for him. So, he gave it a try and see if his video twin can make money doing work for him.
In 2023，SAT-AFTRA the primary union for actors and performers asked its 160,000 to vote on strike and one of the nonnegotiable is how much actors are paid and when they must be consulted if the studios used AI generated simulations of their voice of likeness. The Writers Guild of America (the people that write the scripts) also have AI replacement fears.
At the same time a startup called Runway, invested by Google, just released a tool that could turn text and images into videos. Deepfakes are getting better and better. One of the examples is a deepfake of former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko tricked activist Bill Browder into a video call. The deepfake was initially convincing but quickly fizzled, so we are still a long way off from casting an AI of Meryl Streep.
Here are some concrete way of how AI doppelgangers are being used.
#1 Creating Remarkably Unremarkable Ads with Athletes Too Busy to Get to Set.
Brask Doubles, an AI content agency did work featuring French soccer star Kylian Mbappe and Argentinian soccer phenomenon Lionel Messi for Mengniu, Chinese dairy company. Prior to AI, holograms were already making appearances such as Tupac at Coachella (2012) or Peter Cushing in Star Wars Rogue One. Sometimes it saves the celebrity a lot of hassle with schedule conflicts, but other times it can really become cheesy and super fake, like when Deepcake (not a typo) created a "Bruce Willis AI" that speaks Russian in an ad for MegaFon, a Russian mobile phone company.
#2 Building Synthespian on Top of Body Doubles.
According to COO of Monsters Aliens Robots Zombies company Matt Panousis, AI is a paradigm changer but it is still far from casting AI to perform. It is usually used together with a body double to revive a dead actor or do a twin shot. It's not impossible for a body double to react entire shows and do an AI faceplant.
#3 Creating Dubbing that No Longer Looks Like Dubbing
Actors generally only act in one or two languages. This is where AI lip dubbing software makes it possible for actors to speak in a different language. While this can help scenes like Adam Brody speaking French in The Kid Detective, most companies are against requests for politicians doing drugs or people saying compromising things.
#4 Putting (Possibly Awkward) Talking Heads in instructional Videos
This means allowing your talking head to be in a stock image video for an advertisement. This pays very low, only $500 for Finley, but when business is low, it is another one for him to make some money. One example is Berlitz, a language learning company hiring "virtual instructors" to pump out 20,000 videos. The danger is when people are no longer even required.
For years, people have wondered what Beethoven’s tenth symphony—the “Unfinished”—would have sounded like if he had lived a little bit longer. Now, an AI has taken on the task, with substantial human involvement. Read about the effort, then compare the outcome to this earlier attempt by the composer Barry Cooper. Which seems more authentic to you—and which has more artistic value? Are there other unfinished works you would like to see completed in a similar way?
When Beethoven died in March 1827 a part of his legacy were 40 sketches for a 10th unfinished symphony. A team of experts in machine learning and musicology used these sketches to create an AI to finish what the master never could. The film focuses on three narratives. First, It depicts Beethoven, the world's first superstar including his work, women, pain and legacy. Second, it shows how the process went from 40 sketches to a complete AI Opus. Third, the documentary features the rehearsals to the audio recording and the live premiere. The trailer looks exciting and it shows that humanity and machine working together to create new harmonies.
Before Beethoven had completed his Ninth Symphony in 1824, he had already started jotting down ideas for a Tenth (a similar overlap had occurred in his Fifth and Sixth symphonies). He worked on this new symphony sporadically from 1822 onwards, but at the time of his death in March 1827 only the first movement had been worked on in any detail.
His friend Karl Holz later reported hearing him play it on the piano and gave a brief description: a gentle introduction in E-flat major followed by a powerful Allegro in C minor. But nothing was written and no indication about the later movements. Like most of Beethoven't sketches for other works, those for the Tenth symphony are scattered in several different sketch manuscripts. As usual, they are unlabelled and almost illegible to anyone not well acquainted with Beethoven's idiosyncratic handwriting. Consequently, it was not until the 1980s that any of them were identified with any certainty. In the meantime, rumours about the Tenth Symphony, started mainly by Holz and Anton Schindler, had fuelled speculation that there might be a complete manuscript hidden away somewhere or alternatively that the symphony had never been begun and that the rumours were without foundation.
Now, however, we are a little clearer and more than 50 sketches are known, although many questions remain unanswered and it is possible that more sketches may yet be discovered. All the sketches are very fragmentary, with none containing more than about 30 bars of continuous music; but to someone familiar with Beethoven's normal sketching methods they do give a clear idea of the sort of movement he had in mind. Moreover, they contain some very good material. It therefore seems very well worthwhile to try and make them available for performances by filling them out into a performing version, rather than leaving them in archives where they can be of use only to a few specialists.
Barry Cooper had already studied Beethoven's sketches for numerous other works, in connection with a book he was writing (Beethoven and the Creative Process), and therefore felt he was in a better position than most scholars to attempt a completion of the first movement, even though the task at first seemed impossibly daunting. Altogether there are around 250 bars of sketches for the first movement. Some duplicate or contradict each other, leaving less than 200 usable; but many of these can be used more than once, by means of repetitions and reprises such as occur in all of Beethoven's symphonies (for example, a theme sketched for the exposition will recur in the recapitulation). Thus, all the basic thematic material is Beethoven's; but appropriate harmony has had to be added in places where it is missing, the movement has had to be orchestrated in Beethoven's style (with the aid of only a few clues in the sketches), and linking passages based on Beethoven's themes have been inserted where necessary.
The result is obviously not exactly what Beethoven would have written, and in certain places in particular he would probably have been more imaginative. It also sounds more typical of middle period than late Beethoven, although this may be due to the close connections with the early piano sonatas. Nevertheless, it does provide at least a rough impression of the movement he had in mind at the time of the sketches and is certainly far closer to Beethoven's Tenth symphony than anything previously heard. It is therefore likely to be found extremely interesting by anyone wanting to know what he planned for the symphony that was to have followed the Ninth; moreover it can also be appreciated as a piece of music, in a way that the fragmentary sketches on their own could never be.
Some people think a lot about the Roman Empire, but the songwriter Jorge Rivera-Herrans was more into ancient Greece. Explore the TikTok-documented story behind the creation of his EPIC: The Musical—which was inspired by Homer’s The Odyssey but blends modern genres, even video game music, and listen to at least this one example song (you’ll probably want to keep going): “Wouldn’t You Like”. Afterward, discuss with your team: should more creators communicate openly with the public while developing new works of fiction, theater, and art? Should we have done that with these outlines?
Epic: The Musical is a concept album created, written and produced by Jorge Rivera-Herrans. It depicts the story of the mythological hero Odysseus, as he attempts to journey home to his wife Penelope and son Telemachus. His journey is thwarted by ruthless and mystical powers, which force Odysseus to grapple with his own morality. It is a loose adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey.
It started out as a passion project in his dorm room in 2019, inspired music and storytelling methods in both video games and anime, and by 2021, he began posting snippets on TikTok (@jorgeherrans). He divided each chapter into sagas, which he will release one at a time, and began hosting auditions on TikTok. Throughout the process, he shares many of his creative inspirations and decisions, so the audience feels like it is part of the process.
Over the years, Epic's fanbase has steadily grown and it brought people online from animators, actors to musicians and writers. The music features many genre ranging from pop music, romantic ballad to video game music. Currently, it is only a concept album, so it won't be performed live on stage. But, fans can enjoy it from the comforts of their homes and maybe one day this epic will come to reality. (I am actually a fan of Epic and I was excited that WSC included it in this year's curriculum! - Penelope)
Act 1
The Troy Saga
The Cyclops Saga
The Ocean Saga
The Circe Saga
The Underworld Saga
Act 2
The Thunder Saga
The Wisdom Saga
The Vengeance Saga
The Ithaca Saga,
This catchy song depicts Hermes having a dialogue with Odysseus about Circe and is part of the Circe Saga. The musical style is like a video game and the video feels like a hypnotic conversation under a disco ball/VR world. Feels nothing ancient Greek, yet it brings out the arrogance of the god and the desperation of Odysseus trapped on the island of Circe. Circe Circe is a powerful sorceress and enchantress in Homer's "The Odyssey". She is known for her extensive knowledge of herbology and potions, and
she initially turns Odysseus' men into pigs as punishment for their disrespect. The chorus has Hermes taunting Odysseus about the immortality and power of the gods,"Do you want some of the power. Wouldn't you like to use more than words. Deep in the night, the fight lasts for hours. You can get hurt or you can beat her." At the end, Hermes offers Odysseus "holy moly" which would allow him to create a creature from his imagination to defeat Circe, telling him, "You very well may die, good luck!"
Good luck to you all Alpaca scholars. Hope they play this at the Scholar's Ball or at one of the rounds.